Power-efficient communication of group-addressed frames

ABSTRACT

An interface circuit in an electronic device (such as an access point) may receive a setup request associated with the recipient electronic device. The setup request may specify a group address for which the recipient electronic device wants to receive associated frames and a proposed transmission interval. Based at least in part on the proposed transmission interval, the electronic device may determine a transmission schedule and/or may assign, based at least in part on the group address, the recipient electronic device to an aggregated group having a flexible multicast service identifier (FMSID). Then, the electronic device may provide a wake-up frame for the recipient electronic device, where the wake-up frame includes an identifier of the aggregated group for which a group-addressed frame will subsequently be transmitted by the electronic device. Moreover, the wake-up frame may be provided at a transmission time based at least in part on the transmission schedule.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 16/113,659, entitled “Power-Efficient Communication ofGroup-Addressed Frames,” by Christiaan A. Hartman, et al., filed Aug.27, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/609,213, entitled “Power-Efficient Communication of Group-AddressedFrames,” by Christiaan A. Hartman, et al., filed Dec. 21, 2017, thecontents of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

This application is related to U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No.16/113,550, entitled “Wake-Up Radio with Urgent-Data Criteria,” byJarkko L. Kneckt, et al., filed Aug. 27, 2018, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The described embodiments relate, generally, to wireless communicationsamong electronic devices, and techniques for improving power efficiencyby selectively receiving individually-addressed frames orgroup-addressed frames using a wake-up radio.

BACKGROUND

Many electronic devices communicate with each other using wireless localarea networks (WLANs), such as those based on a communication protocolthat is compatible with an IEEE 802.11 standard (which is sometimesreferred to as ‘Wi-Fi’). However, a radio in an electronic device thatcommunicates using wireless communication in a WLAN may consume asignificant amount of power.

In order to address this challenge, a new radio technology called LowPower Wake-Up Radio (LP-WUR) is being considered (in the discussion thatfollows a LP-WUR is referred to as a ‘wake-up radio’ or a WUR). The WURmay be a companion to the main Wi-Fi radio in the electronic device.Notably, by using the WUR, the electronic device may turn off its mainradio and may selectively wake up the main radio in response to the WURreceiving a WUR packet from an access point. For example, the accesspoint may send the WUR packet when there is a down-link packet for theelectronic device.

Moreover, an access point typically transmits group-addressed framesafter a Delivery Traffic Indication Message (DTIM) beacon. Consequently,a WUR in an electronic device usually wakes up the main radio after DTIMbeacons to receive any group-addressed frames. However, these regular orperiodic wake ups can significantly increase the power consumption ofthe electronic device. Indeed, the power consumption may be comparableto a legacy electronic device without a WUR that operates in alower-power mode between DTIM beacons.

SUMMARY

A first group of embodiments relates to an electronic device thatprovides a wake-up frame. This electronic device may include a node thatcan be communicatively coupled to an antenna, and an interface circuitcommunicatively coupled to the node and that communicates with arecipient electronic device. During operation, the interface circuitreceives, from the node, a WUR-setup request associated with therecipient electronic device, where the WUR-setup request specifies agroup address for which the recipient electronic device wants to receiveassociated frames and a proposed transmission interval. Then, theinterface circuit determines a transmission schedule based at least inpart on the proposed transmission interval. Next, the interface circuitprovides, to the node, the wake-up frame intended for the recipientelectronic device, where the wake-up frame includes an identifier of anaggregated group that includes the group address for which agroup-addressed frame will subsequently be transmitted by the electronicdevice, and the wake-up frame is provided at a transmission time basedat least in part on the transmission schedule.

Note that the transmission time may be an integer multiple of aDTIM-beacon transmission interval, where the integer is greater thanone.

Moreover, the identifier may include a Flexible Multicast Serviceidentifier (FMSID).

Furthermore, the wake-up frame may specify an FMS stream for which thereis pending traffic in the electronic device.

Additionally, the interface circuit may select an FMS stream for whichthere is pending traffic in the electronic device, and the wake-up framemay specify the FMS stream.

In some embodiments, the interface circuit may assign, based at least inpart on the group address, the recipient electronic device to theaggregated group having a FMSID.

Note that the electronic device may include an access point.

Moreover, the WUR-setup request and the wake-up frame may be compatiblewith an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol.

Furthermore, the interface circuit may: receive, from the node, a secondWUR-setup request associated with the recipient electronic device, wherethe second WUR-setup request specifies one or more attributes associatedwith group-addressed frames that the recipient electronic device wantsto receive using a directed multicast service (DMS); and provide, to thenode, a second wake-up frame intended for the recipient electronicdevice, where the second wake-up frame indicates that the electronicdevice will subsequently provide a unicast copy of a secondgroup-addressed frame having the one or more attributes.

Other embodiments provide an interface circuit in the electronic device.

Other embodiments provide a computer-readable storage medium for usewith the interface circuit in the electronic device. When programinstructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium are executedby the interface circuit, the program instructions may cause theelectronic device to perform at least some of the aforementionedoperations of the electronic device.

Other embodiments provide a method for providing a wake-up frame. Themethod includes at least some of the aforementioned operations performedby the interface circuit in the electronic device.

A second group of embodiments relates to a recipient electronic devicethat receives a wake-up frame. This recipient electronic device mayinclude a node that can be communicatively coupled to an antenna, and aninterface circuit communicatively coupled to the node and thatcommunicates with an electronic device. The interface circuit mayinclude a main radio and a WUR that at least selectively transitions themain radio from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode in response tothe wake-up frame. During operation, the main radio in the recipientelectronic device provides, to the node, a WUR-setup request intendedfor the electronic device, where the WUR-setup request specifies a groupaddress for which the recipient electronic device wants to receiveassociated frames and a proposed transmission interval. Then, the WUR inthe recipient electronic device receives, from the node, the wake-upframe associated with the electronic device, where the wake-up frameincludes an identifier of an aggregated group that includes the groupaddress for which a group-addressed frame will subsequently betransmitted by the electronic device, and the wake-up frame is receivedat a time corresponding to the proposed transmission interval.

Note that the transmission time may be an integer multiple of aDTIM-beacon transmission interval, where the integer is greater thanone.

Moreover, the identifier may include an FMSID.

Furthermore, the electronic device may include an access point.

Additionally, the WUR-setup request and the wake-up frame may becompatible with an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol.

In some embodiments, based at least in part on the wake-up frame, theWUR may selectively transition the main radio in the recipientelectronic device from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode. Then,the main radio may receive the group-addressed frame.

Note that the wake-up frame may include a change indication thatindicates FMS information has changed. In response to the changeindication, the main radio may receive updated FMS information.Moreover, the updated FMS information may be received, from the node andusing the main radio, in a DTIM beacon associated with the electronicdevice. Furthermore, the main radio may: provide, to the node, a proberequest intended for the electronic device; and receive, from the node,a probe response associated with the electronic device, where the proberesponse includes the updated FMS information.

In some embodiments, the main radio may: provide, to the node, a secondWUR-setup request intended for the electronic device, where the secondWUR-setup request specifies one or more attributes associated withgroup-addressed frames that the recipient electronic device wants toreceive using DMS; and receive, from the node, a second wake-up frameassociated with the electronic device, where the second wake-up frameindicates that the electronic device will subsequently provide a unicastcopy of a second group-addressed frame having the one or moreattributes.

Other embodiments provide an interface circuit in the recipientelectronic device.

Other embodiments provide a computer-readable storage medium for usewith the interface circuit in the recipient electronic device. Whenprogram instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium areexecuted by the interface circuit, the program instructions may causethe recipient electronic device to perform at least some of theaforementioned operations of the recipient electronic device.

Other embodiments provide a method for receiving a wake-up frame. Themethod includes at least some of the aforementioned operations performedby the interface circuit in the recipient electronic device.

A third group of embodiments relates to an electronic device thatselectively provides a wake-up frame. This electronic device may includea node that can be communicatively coupled to an antenna, and aninterface circuit communicatively coupled to the node and thatcommunicates with a recipient electronic device. During operation, theinterface circuit receives, from the node, a WUR-setup requestassociated with the recipient electronic device, where the WUR-setuprequest specifies one or more urgency criteria for downlink traffic fromthe electronic device for the recipient electronic device. Then, theinterface circuit receives a frame addressed to the recipient electronicdevice. Moreover, the interface circuit determines a traffic urgency ofthe frame based at least in part on the one or more urgency criteria.Next, based at least in part on the determined traffic urgency, theinterface circuit: selectively provide, to the node, the wake-up frameintended for the recipient electronic device, where the wake-up frameincludes information specifying the traffic urgency of the frame; orstores the frame in a buffer.

Note that the one or more urgency criteria may include at least one of:an access category (AC), an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a UserDatagram Protocol (UDP) port, or a quality-of-service (QoS).

Moreover, the interface circuit may provide, to the node, a secondwake-up frame intended for the recipient electronic device at asubsequent retransmission time for the determined traffic urgency of thestored frame, where the second wake-up frame includes informationspecifying the traffic urgency of the frame.

Furthermore, the electronic device may include an access point.

Additionally, the WUR-setup request and the wake-up frame may becompatible with an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol.

Other embodiments provide an interface circuit in the electronic device.

Other embodiments provide a computer-readable storage medium for usewith the interface circuit in the electronic device. When programinstructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium are executedby the interface circuit, the program instructions may cause theelectronic device to perform at least some of the aforementionedoperations of the electronic device.

Other embodiments provide a method for selectively providing a wake-upframe. The method includes at least some of the aforementionedoperations performed by the interface circuit in the electronic device.

A fourth group of embodiments relates to a recipient electronic devicethat receives a wake-up frame. This recipient electronic device mayinclude a node that can be communicatively coupled to an antenna, and aninterface circuit communicatively coupled to the node and thatcommunicates with an electronic device. The interface circuit mayinclude a main radio and a WUR that at least selectively transitions themain radio from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode in response tothe wake-up frame. During operation, the main radio in the recipientelectronic device provides, to the node, a WUR-setup request intendedfor the electronic device, where the WUR-setup request specifies one ormore urgency criteria for downlink traffic from the electronic devicefor the recipient electronic device. Then, the WUR in the recipientelectronic device receives, from the node, the wake-up frame associatedwith the electronic device, where the wake-up frame includes informationspecifying a traffic urgency of a frame that the electronic device willtransmit.

Note that the one or more urgency criteria may include at least one of:an AC, an IP address, a UDP port, or a QoS.

Moreover, the WUR may receive, at the node, a second wake-up frameassociated with the electronic device, where the second wake-up frameincludes information specifying a traffic urgency of the frame.

Furthermore, the electronic device may include an access point.

Additionally, the WUR-setup request and the wake-up frame may becompatible with an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol.

In some embodiments, the WUR may selectively transition the main radiofrom a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode based at least in part onthe information. Then, the main radio may receive the frame.

Other embodiments provide an interface circuit in the recipientelectronic device.

Other embodiments provide a computer-readable storage medium for usewith the interface circuit in the recipient electronic device. Whenprogram instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium areexecuted by the interface circuit, the program instructions may causethe recipient electronic device to perform at least some of theaforementioned operations of the recipient electronic device.

Other embodiments provide a method for receiving a wake-up frame. Themethod includes at least some of the aforementioned operations performedby the interface circuit in the recipient electronic device.

This Summary is provided for purposes of illustrating some exemplaryembodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects ofthe subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciatedthat the above-described features are only examples and should not beconstrued to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter describedherein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter described herein will become apparent from the followingDetailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only toprovide examples of possible structures and arrangements for thedisclosed systems and techniques for intelligently and efficientlymanaging communication between multiple associated user devices. Thesedrawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be madeto the embodiments by one skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the embodiments. The embodiments will be readilyunderstood by the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate likestructural elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of electronic devicescommunicating wirelessly.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method forproviding a wake-up frame using one of the electronic devices in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method forreceiving a wake-up frame using one of the electronic devices in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of communicationbetween electronic devices, such as the electronic devices of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating an example interface circuit in one ofthe electronic devices in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method forselectively providing a wake-up frame using one of the electronicdevices in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method forreceiving a wake-up frame using one of the electronic devices in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of communicationbetween electronic devices, such as the electronic devices of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of one of theelectronic devices of FIG. 1 .

Note that like reference numerals refer to corresponding partsthroughout the drawings. Moreover, multiple instances of the same partare designated by a common prefix separated from an instance number by adash.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An interface circuit in an electronic device (such as an access point)may receive a WUR-setup request associated with the recipient electronicdevice. The WUR-setup request may specify a group address for which therecipient electronic device wants to receive associated frames and aproposed transmission interval. Based at least in part on the proposedtransmission interval, the electronic device may determine atransmission schedule and/or may assign, based at least in part on thegroup address, the recipient electronic device to an aggregated grouphaving a FMSID. Then, the electronic device may provide a wake-up frameintended for the recipient electronic device, where the wake-up frameincludes an identifier of the aggregated group for which agroup-addressed frame will subsequently be transmitted by the electronicdevice. Moreover, the wake-up frame may be provided at a transmissiontime based at least in part on the transmission schedule.

By determining a transmission schedule for group-addressed frames, thecommunication techniques may allow the recipient electronic device toreduce the frequency that it wakes up the main radio. Consequently, thecommunication techniques may significantly decrease the powerconsumption of the recipient electronic device. Thus, the communicationtechniques may improve the user experience when using the electronicdevice or the recipient electronic device, and therefore may increasecustomer satisfaction and retention.

Note that the communication techniques may be used during wirelesscommunication between electronic devices in accordance with acommunication protocol, such as a communication protocol that iscompatible with an IEEE 802.11 standard (which is sometimes referred toas Wi-Fi). In some embodiments, the communication techniques are usedwith IEEE 802.11BA and/or IEEE 802.11ax, which are used as illustrativeexamples in the discussion that follows. However, this communicationtechniques may also be used with a wide variety of other communicationprotocols, and in electronic devices (such as portable electronicdevices or mobile devices) that can incorporate multiple different radioaccess technologies (RATs) to provide connections through differentwireless networks that offer different services and/or capabilities.

An electronic device can include hardware and software to support awireless personal area network (WPAN) according to a WPAN communicationprotocol, such as those standardized by the Bluetooth Special InterestGroup (in Kirkland, Washington) and/or those developed by Apple (inCupertino, California) that are referred to as an Apple Wireless DirectLink (AWDL). Moreover, the electronic device can communicate via: awireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless metro area network (WMAN),a WLAN, near-field communication (NFC), a cellular-telephone or datanetwork (such as using a third generation (3G) communication protocol, afourth generation (4G) communication protocol, e.g., Long Term Evolutionor LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), a fifth generation (5G) communicationprotocol, or other present or future developed advanced cellularcommunication protocol) and/or another communication protocol. In someembodiments, the communication protocol includes a peer-to-peercommunication technique.

The electronic device, in some embodiments, can also operate as part ofa wireless communication system, which can include a set of clientdevices, which can also be referred to as stations or client electronicdevices, interconnected to an access point, e.g., as part of a WLAN,and/or to each other, e.g., as part of a WPAN and/or an ‘ad hoc’wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi direct connection. In someembodiments, the client device can be any electronic device that iscapable of communicating via a WLAN technology, e.g., in accordance witha WLAN communication protocol. Furthermore, in some embodiments, theWLAN technology can include a Wi-Fi (or more generically a WLAN)wireless communication subsystem or radio, and the Wi-Fi radio canimplement an IEEE 802.11 technology, such as one or more of: IEEE802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11-2007; IEEE 802.11n;IEEE 802.11-2012; IEEE 802.11ac; IEEE 802.11ax, or other present orfuture developed IEEE 802.11 technologies.

In some embodiments, the electronic device can act as a communicationshub that provides access to a WLAN and/or to a WWAN and, thus, to a widevariety of services that can be supported by various applicationsexecuting on the electronic device. Thus, the electronic device mayinclude an ‘access point’ that communicates wirelessly with otherelectronic devices (such as using Wi-Fi), and that provides access toanother network (such as the Internet) via IEEE 802.3 (which issometimes referred to as ‘Ethernet’). However, in other embodiments theelectronic device may not be an access point. As an illustrativeexample, in the discussion that follows the electronic device is orincludes an access point.

Additionally, it should be understood that the electronic devicesdescribed herein may be configured as multi-mode wireless communicationdevices that are also capable of communicating via different 3G and/orsecond generation (2G) RATs. In these scenarios, a multi-mode electronicdevice or UE can be configured to prefer attachment to LTE networksoffering faster data rate throughput, as compared to other 3G legacynetworks offering lower data rate throughputs. For example, in someembodiments, a multi-mode electronic device is configured to fall backto a 3G legacy network, e.g., an Evolved High Speed Packet Access(HSPA+) network or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000Evolution-Data Only (EV-DO) network, when LTE and LTE-A networks areotherwise unavailable.

In accordance with various embodiments described herein, the terms‘wireless communication device,’ ‘electronic device,’ ‘mobile device,’‘mobile station,’ ‘wireless station,’ ‘wireless access point,’‘station,’ ‘access point’ and ‘user equipment’ (UE) may be used hereinto describe one or more consumer electronic devices that may be capableof performing procedures associated with various embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 1 presents a block diagram illustrating an example of electronicdevices communicating wirelessly. Notably, one or more electronicdevices 110 (such as a smartphone, a laptop computer, a notebookcomputer, a tablet, or another such electronic device) and access point112 may communicate wirelessly in a WLAN using an IEEE 802.11communication protocol. Thus, electronic devices 110 may be associatedwith access point 112. For example, electronic devices 110 and accesspoint 112 may wirelessly communicate while: detecting one another byscanning wireless channels, transmitting and receiving beacons or beaconframes on wireless channels, establishing connections (for example, bytransmitting connect requests), and/or transmitting and receivingpackets or frames (which may include the request and/or additionalinformation, such as data, as payloads). Note that access point 112 mayprovide access to a network, such as the Internet, via an Ethernetprotocol, and may be a physical access point or a virtual or ‘software’access point that is implemented on a computer or an electronic device.In the discussion that follows, electronic devices 110 are sometimesreferred to as ‘recipient electronic devices.’

As described further below with reference to FIG. 9 , electronic devices110 and access point 112 may include subsystems, such as a networkingsubsystem, a memory subsystem, and a processor subsystem. In addition,electronic devices 110 and access point 112 may include radios 114 inthe networking subsystems. More generally, electronic devices 110 andaccess point 112 can include (or can be included within) any electronicdevices with networking subsystems that enable electronic devices 110and access point 112, respectively, to wirelessly communicate withanother electronic device. This can include transmitting beacons onwireless channels to enable the electronic devices to make initialcontact with or to detect each other, followed by exchanging subsequentdata/management frames (such as connect requests) to establish aconnection, configure security options (e.g., IPSec), transmit andreceive packets or frames via the connection, etc.

As can be seen in FIG. 1 , wireless signals 116 (represented by a jaggedline) are communicated by radios 114-1 and 114-2 in electronic device110-1 and access point 112, respectively. For example, as notedpreviously, electronic device 110-1 and access point 112 may exchangepackets using a Wi-Fi communication protocol in a WLAN. As illustratedfurther below with reference to FIGS. 2-8 , radio 114-1 may receivewireless signals 116 that are transmitted by radio 114-2. Alternatively,radio 114-1 may transmit wireless signals 116 that are received by radio114-2. However, as described further below with reference to FIG. 5 ,radio 114-1 consumes additional power in a higher-power mode. If radio114-1 remains in the higher-power mode even when it is not transmittingor receiving packets, the power consumption of electronic device 110-1may be needlessly increased. Consequently, electronic devices 110 mayinclude WURs 118 that listen for and/or receive wake-up frames (and/orother wake-up communications), e.g., from access point 112. When aparticular electronic device (such as electronic device 110-1) receivesa wake-up frame, WUR 118-1 may selectively wake-up radio 114-1, e.g., byproviding a wake-up signal that selectively transitions radio 114-1 froma lower-power mode to the higher-power mode.

As discussed previously, the approach employed by some electronicdevices to receive group-address frames can significantly reduce thepower-saving advantages of WURs, such as WURs 118.

In order to address this challenge, as described further below withreference to FIGS. 2-4 , access point 112 may receive a WUR-setuprequest from electronic device 110-1, where the WUR-setup requestspecifies a group address for which electronic device 110-1 wants toreceive associated frames and a proposed transmission interval. Then,access point 112 may determine a transmission schedule based at least inpart on the proposed transmission interval. Next, access point 112 mayprovide the wake-up frame to electronic device 110-1, where the wake-upframe includes an identifier (such as an FMSID) of an aggregated groupthat includes the group address for which a group-addressed frame willsubsequently be transmitted by access point 112, and the wake-up frameis provided at a transmission time (which may be an integer multiple ofa DTIM-beacon transmission interval) based at least in part on thetransmission schedule. For example, the wake-up frame may specify an FMSstream for which there is pending traffic in access point 112. Based atleast in part on the wake-up frame, WUR 118-1 may selectively transitionradio 114-1 from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode, and thenaccess point 112 may provide the group-addressed frame to electronicdevice 110-1.

Note that the wake-up frame may include a change indication thatindicates FMS information has changed. In response to the changeindication, and after radio 114-1 has been awoken, electronic device110-1 may provide updated FMS information to access point 112. Forexample, the updated FMS information may be provided in a DTIM beacon.In some embodiments, electronic device 110-1 may provide a probe requestto access point 112. In response, access point 112 may provide a proberesponse to electronic device 110-1, where the probe response includesthe updated FMS information.

Alternatively or additionally, access point 112 may receive a secondWUR-setup request from electronic device 110-1, where the secondWUR-setup request specifies one or more attributes associated withgroup-addressed frames that electronic device 110-1 wants to receiveusing DMS. Then, access point 112 may provide a second wake-up frame toelectronic device 110-1, where the second wake-up frame indicates thataccess point 112 will subsequently provide a unicast copy of a secondgroup-addressed frame having the one or more attributes.

In some embodiments, access point 112 may receive a WUR-setup requestfrom electronic device 110-1, where the WUR-setup request specifies oneor more urgency criteria for downlink traffic from access point 112 forelectronic device 110-1. For example, the one or more urgency criteriamay include at least one of: an AC (such as voice, video, best effortand/or background), an IP address, a UDP port, or a QoS. Then, accesspoint 112 may receive a frame addressed to electronic device 110-1.Moreover, access point 112 may determine a traffic urgency of the framebased at least in part on the one or more urgency criteria. Next, basedat least in part on the determined traffic urgency, access point 112 mayselectively provide a wake-up frame to electronic device 110-1, wherethe wake-up frame includes information specifying the traffic urgency ofthe frame. Alternatively, access point 112 may store the frame in abuffer. Furthermore, access point 112 may provide a second wake-up frameto electronic device 110-1 at a subsequent retransmission time for thedetermined traffic urgency of the stored frame, where the second wake-upframe includes information specifying the traffic urgency of the frame.

In these ways, the communication techniques may allow electronic devices110 and access point 112 to communicate efficiently (such as with feweror less frequent wake-up packets or frames, and thus with reducedtransmission overhead), while significantly reducing the powerconsumption associated with radios 114 and WURs 118 in electronicdevices 110. These capabilities may improve the user experience whenusing electronic devices 110.

Note that access point 112 and at least some of electronic devices 110may be compatible with an IEEE 802.11 standard that includestrigger-based channel access (such as IEEE 802.11ax). However, accesspoint 112 and at least this subset of electronic devices 110 may alsocommunicate with one or more legacy electronic devices that are notcompatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard (i.e., that do not usemulti-user trigger-based channel access). In some embodiments, at leasta subset of electronic devices 110 use multi-user transmission (such asorthogonal frequency division multiple access or OFDMA). For example,radio 114-2 may provide a trigger frame intended for the subset ofelectronic devices 110. This trigger frame may be provided after a timedelay (such as a time delay between, e.g., 10 and 300 ms), so that radio114-1 has sufficient time to transition to the higher-power mode.Moreover, after radio 118-1 receives a wake-up frame or when there is atargeted-wave-up-time (TWT) service period (SP) and radio 114-1transitions to the higher-power mode, radio 114-1 may provide a groupacknowledgment to radio 114-2. For example, radio 114-1 may provide theacknowledgment during an assigned time slot and/or in an assignedchannel in the group acknowledgment. However, in some embodiments theone or more electronic devices 110 may individually provideacknowledgments to radio 114-2. Thus, after radio 118-1 receives thewake-up frame and radio 114-1 transitions to the higher-power mode,radio 114-1 (and, more generally, the main radios in the one or moreelectronic devices 110) may provide an acknowledgment to radio 114-2.

In the described embodiments, processing a packet or frame in one ofelectronic devices 110 and access point 112 includes: receiving wirelesssignals 116 encoding a packet or a frame; decoding/extracting the packetor frame from received wireless signals 116 to acquire the packet orframe; and processing the packet or frame to determine informationcontained in the packet or frame (such as data in the payload).

In general, the communication via the WLAN in the communicationtechniques may be characterized by a variety ofcommunication-performance metrics. For example, thecommunication-performance metric may include any/all of: an RSSI, a datarate, a data rate for successful communication (which is sometimesreferred to as a ‘throughput’), a latency, an error rate (such as aretry or resend rate), a mean-square error of equalized signals relativeto an equalization target, inter-symbol interference, multipathinterference, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a width of an eye pattern,a ratio of a number of bytes successfully communicated during a timeinterval (such as a time interval between, e.g., 1 and 10 s) to anestimated maximum number of bytes that can be communicated in the timeinterval (the latter of which is sometimes referred to as the ‘capacity’of a communication channel or link), and/or a ratio of an actual datarate to an estimated data rate (which is sometimes referred to as‘utilization’).

Although we describe the network environment shown in FIG. 1 as anexample, in alternative embodiments, different numbers and/or types ofelectronic devices may be present. For example, some embodiments mayinclude more or fewer electronic devices. As another example, in otherembodiments, different electronic devices can be transmitting and/orreceiving packets or frames.

FIG. 2 presents a flow diagram illustrating an example method 200 forproviding a wake-up frame. This method may be performed by an electronicdevice, such as an interface circuit in access point 112 in FIG. 1 .During operation, the interface circuit may receive a WUR-setup request(operation 210) associated with the recipient electronic device, wherethe WUR-setup request specifies a group address for which the recipientelectronic device wants to receive associated frames and a proposedtransmission interval.

Then, the interface circuit may determine a transmission schedule(operation 212) based at least in part on the proposed transmissioninterval.

Next, the interface circuit may provide the wake-up frame (operation214) intended for the recipient electronic device, where the wake-upframe includes an identifier of an aggregated group that includes thegroup address for which a group-addressed frame will subsequently betransmitted by the electronic device, and the wake-up frame is providedat a transmission time based at least in part on the transmissionschedule.

Note that the transmission time may be an integer multiple of aDTIM-beacon transmission interval, where the integer is greater thanone. Moreover, the identifier may include a FMSID. Furthermore, thewake-up frame may specify an FMS stream for which there is pendingtraffic in the electronic device.

In some embodiments, the interface circuit optionally performs one ormore additional operations (operation 216). For example, the interfacecircuit may select an FMS stream for which there is pending traffic inthe electronic device, and the wake-up frame may specify the FMS stream.Moreover, the interface circuit may assign, based at least in part onthe group address, the recipient electronic device to the aggregatedgroup having a FMSID.

Furthermore, the interface circuit may receive a second WUR-setuprequest associated with the recipient electronic device, where thesecond WUR-setup request specifies one or more attributes associatedwith group-addressed frames that the recipient electronic device wantsto receive using DMS. Then, the interface circuit may provide a secondwake-up frame intended for the recipient electronic device, where thesecond wake-up frame indicates that the electronic device willsubsequently provide a unicast copy of a second group-addressed framehaving the one or more attributes.

FIG. 3 presents a flow diagram illustrating an example method 300 forreceiving a wake-up frame. This method may be performed by a recipientelectronic device, such as an interface circuit in electronic device110-1 in FIG. 1 . This interface circuit may include a WUR and a mainradio. During operation, the main radio in the recipient electronicdevice may provide a WUR-setup request (operation 310) intended for theelectronic device, where the WUR-setup request specifies a group addressfor which the recipient electronic device wants to receive associatedframes and a proposed transmission interval. Then, the WUR in therecipient electronic device may receive the wake-up frame (operation312) associated with the electronic device, where the wake-up frameincludes an identifier of an aggregated group that includes the groupaddress for which a group-addressed frame will subsequently betransmitted by the electronic device, and the wake-up frame is receivedat a time corresponding to the proposed transmission interval.

Note that the transmission time may be an integer multiple of aDTIM-beacon transmission interval, where the integer is greater thanone. Moreover, the identifier may include a FMSID.

In some embodiments, the recipient electronic device optionally performsone or more additional operations (operation 314). For example, based atleast in part on the wake-up frame, the WUR in the recipient electronicdevice may selectively transition the main radio in the recipientelectronic device from a lower-power mode to a higher-power mode. Then,the main radio in the recipient electronic device may receive thegroup-addressed frame.

Moreover, the wake-up frame may include a change indication thatindicates FMS information has changed. In response to the changeindication, the main radio may receive updated FMS information.Moreover, the updated FMS information may be received in a DTIM beaconassociated with the electronic device. Furthermore, the main radio may:provide a probe request intended for the electronic device; and receivea probe response associated with the electronic device, where the proberesponse includes the updated FMS information.

Furthermore, the main radio may: provide a second WUR-setup requestintended for the electronic device, where the second WUR-setup requestspecifies one or more attributes associated with group-addressed framesthat the recipient electronic device wants to receive using DMS; andreceive a second wake-up frame associated with the electronic device,where the second wake-up frame indicates that the electronic device willsubsequently provide a unicast copy of a second group-addressed framehaving the one or more attributes.

The communication techniques are further illustrated in FIG. 4 , whichpresents a flow diagram illustrating an example of communication betweenelectronic device 110-1 and access point 112. After associating withaccess point 112, main radio 410 in interface circuit 412 in electronicdevice 110-1 may provide a WUR-setup request 414 to access point 112.This WUR-setup request may specify a group address for which electronicdevice 110-1 wants to receive associated frames and a proposedtransmission interval (PTI) 416. Then, main radio 410 may transition toa lower-power mode 418.

After receiving WUR-setup request 414, interface circuit 420 maydetermine a transmission schedule (TS) 422 based at least in part on theproposed transmission interval 416. Then, interface circuit 420 mayprovide a wake-up frame 424 to electronic device 110-1, where thewake-up frame 424 includes an identifier 426 of an aggregated group thatincludes the group address for which a group-addressed frame willsubsequently be transmitted by access point 112, and wake-up frame 424is provided at a transmission time based at least in part on thetransmission schedule 422. Note that interface circuit 420 may determineto provide wake-up frame 424 when there is downlink traffic (such asdata associated with a service) that is associated with an aggregatedgroup. Alternatively or additionally, interface circuit 420 maydetermine to provide wake-up frame 424 when there is an FMS stream forwhich there is pending traffic in access point 112, and wake-up frame424 may specify the FMS stream.

After receiving wake-up frame 424, WUR 428 may extract and analyzeidentifier 426. Then, WUR 428 may perform a remedial action. Forexample, WUR 428 may provide, to main radio 410, a wake-up signal 430that transitions main radio 410 from lower-power mode 418 to ahigher-power mode 432 based at least in part on identifier 426.Subsequently, interface circuit 420 may provide the group-addressedframe (GAF) 434 to the aggregate group, including main radio 410 inelectronic device 110-1.

In some embodiments, main radio 410 provides a WUR-setup request 436 toaccess point 112. This WUR-setup request may specify one or moreattributes 438 associated with group-addressed frames that electronicdevice 110-1 wants to receive using DMS. Then, main radio 410 maytransition to the lower-power mode 418.

After receiving WUR-setup request 436, interface circuit 420 mayoptionally determine to provide a wake-up frame 440 based at least inpart on the one or more attributes 438. For example, interface circuit420 may determine to provide wake-up frame 440 when there is downlinktraffic for at least electronic device 110-1 that has or that matchesthe one or more attributes 438. Then, interface circuit 420 may providewake-up frame 440 for electronic device 110-1, where wake-up frame 440indicates that access point 112 will subsequently provide a unicast copyof a group-addressed frame having the one or more attributes.

After receiving wake-up frame 440, WUR 428 may extract and information442. Then, WUR 428 may perform a remedial action. For example, WUR 428may provide, to main radio 410, a wake-up signal 444 that transitionsmain radio 410 from lower-power mode 418 to higher-power mode 432 basedat least in part on information 442. Subsequently, interface circuit 420may provide a unicast copy of the group-addressed frame 446 to at leastelectronic device 110-1 using DMS.

In some embodiments of the WUR technology, the communication techniquesare used to determine, modify, and/or exchange information thatspecifies a transmission schedule and/or one or more attributesassociated with group-addressed frames. This information may allow thenumber or frequency of wake-up frames to be reduced, and thus may reducethe power consumption of a recipient electronic device and thetransmission overhead associated with the wake-up frames.

Notably, based at least in part on the transmission schedule and/or theone or more attributes, an electronic device (such as access point 112in FIG. 1 ) may provide a wake-up frame to a recipient electronic device(such as electronic device 110-1 in FIG. 1 ). A WUR in the recipientelectronic device may receive the wake-up frame. Moreover, based atleast in part on the information included in the wake-up frame, the WURmay selectively transition a main radio (or other radio) in therecipient electronic device from a lower-power mode to a higher-powermode.

As shown in FIG. 5 , which presents a drawing illustrating an example ofan interface circuit 412 in electronic device 110-1, a WUR 512 (such asWUR 428) may be a companion radio to a main (Wi-Fi) radio 510 (such asradio 114-1 or main radio 410) in interface circuit 412. WUR 512 mayallow electronic device 110-1 to turn off main radio 510, e.g., wheneverpossible. Moreover, WUR 512 may wake up main radio 510 when wake-upframe 424, sent from optional WUR 514 or radio 516 (such as radio 114-2)in access point 112, specifies electronic device 110-1. Note that insome embodiments WUR 512 is configured to receive wireless signals,while main radio 510 is configured to transmit and to receive wirelesssignals. In these ways, the power consumption of WUR 512 may be verylow, e.g., lower than Bluetooth Low Energy. In some other embodiments,WUR 512 may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals,while still achieving a power savings. WUR 512 can operate in analways-on mode and/or in a duty-cycle mode. For example, in theduty-cycle mode, WUR 512 may turn on or listen for a wake-up frame fromaccess point 112 based at least in part on a TWT schedule of electronicdevice 110-1.

FIG. 6 presents a flow diagram illustrating an example method 600 forselectively providing a wake-up frame. This method may be performed byan electronic device, such as an interface circuit in access point 112in FIG. 1 . During operation, the interface circuit may receive aWUR-setup request (operation 610) associated with the recipientelectronic device, where the WUR-setup request specifies one or moreurgency criteria for downlink traffic from the electronic device for therecipient electronic device. Note that the one or more urgency criteriamay include at least one of: an AC, an IP address, a UDP port, or a QoS.

Then, the interface circuit may receive a frame (operation 612)addressed to the recipient electronic device. Moreover, the interfacecircuit determines a traffic urgency of the frame (operation 614) basedat least in part on the one or more urgency criteria.

Next, based at least in part on the determined traffic urgency, theinterface circuit: may selectively provide the wake-up frame (operation616) intended for the recipient electronic device, where the wake-upframe includes information specifying the traffic urgency of the frame.Alternatively, the interface circuit may selectively store the frame ina buffer.

In some embodiments, the interface circuit optionally performs one ormore additional operations (operation 618). For example, the interfacecircuit may provide a second wake-up frame intended for the recipientelectronic device at a subsequent retransmission time for the determinedtraffic urgency of the stored frame, where the second wake-up frameincludes information specifying the traffic urgency of the frame.

FIG. 7 presents a flow diagram illustrating an example method 700 forreceiving a wake-up frame. This method may be performed by a recipientelectronic device, such as an interface circuit in electronic device110-1 in FIG. 1 . This interface circuit may include a WUR and a mainradio. During operation, the main radio in the recipient electronicdevice may provide a WUR-setup request (operation 710) intended for theelectronic device, where the WUR-setup request specifies one or moreurgency criteria for downlink traffic from the electronic device for therecipient electronic device. Note that the one or more urgency criteriamay include at least one of: an AC, an IP address, a UDP port, or a QoS.

Then, the WUR in the recipient electronic device may receive the wake-upframe (operation 712) associated with the electronic device, where thewake-up frame includes information specifying a traffic urgency of aframe that the electronic device will transmit.

In some embodiments, the interface circuit optionally performs one ormore additional operations (operation 714). For example, the WUR mayselectively transition the main radio from a lower-power mode to ahigher-power mode based at least in part on the information. Then, themain radio may receive the frame.

Moreover, the WUR may receive a second wake-up frame associated with theelectronic device, where the second wake-up frame includes informationspecifying a traffic urgency of the frame.

The communication techniques are further illustrated in FIG. 8 , whichpresents a flow diagram illustrating an example of communication betweenelectronic device 110-1 and access point 112. After associating withaccess point 112, main radio 410 in interface circuit 412 in electronicdevice 110-1 may provide a WUR-setup request 810 to access point 112.This WUR-setup request may specify one or more urgency criteria 812 fordownlink traffic from access point 112 for electronic device 110-1.Then, main radio 410 may transition to a lower-power mode 418.

After receiving WUR-setup request 414, interface circuit 420 may extractthe one or more urgency criteria 812. Then, interface circuit 420 mayreceive a frame 814 addressed to electronic device 110-1. Moreover,interface circuit 420 may determines a traffic urgency 816 of frame 814based at least in part on the one or more urgency criteria 812.

Next, based at least in part on the determined traffic urgency 816,interface circuit 420 may selectively provide a wake-up frame 818 toelectronic device 110-1, where the wake-up frame includes information820 specifying the traffic urgency 816 of frame 814. Alternatively,interface circuit 420 may selectively store frame 814 (or informationassociated with frame 814) in a buffer, such as memory 822.

After receiving wake-up frame 818, WUR 428 may extract and analyzeinformation 820. Then, WUR 428 may perform a remedial action. Forexample, WUR 428 may provide, to main radio 410, a wake-up signal 430that transitions main radio 410 from lower-power mode 418 to ahigher-power mode 432 based at least in part on information 820.Subsequently, interface circuit 420 may provide frame 814 to electronicdevice 110-1.

Alternatively, interface circuit 420 may provide a wake-up frame 824 toelectronic device 110-1 at a subsequent retransmission time for thedetermined traffic urgency 816 of the stored frame 814, where wake-upframe 824 includes information 826 specifying the traffic urgency 816 offrame 814.

After receiving wake-up frame 824, WUR 428 may extract and analyzeinformation 826. Then, WUR 428 may perform a remedial action. Forexample, WUR 428 may provide, to main radio 410, a wake-up signal 828that transitions main radio 410 from lower-power mode 418 to ahigher-power mode 432 based at least in part on information 826.Subsequently, interface circuit 420 may provide frame 814 to electronicdevice 110-1.

While communication between the components in FIG. 4 and/or FIG. 8 areillustrated with unilateral or bilateral communication (e.g., lineshaving a single arrow or dual arrows), in general a given communicationoperation may be unilateral or bilateral.

In some embodiments of methods 200 (FIG. 2 ), 300 (FIG. 3 ), 600 (FIG. 6) and/or 700, there may be additional or fewer operations. Moreover, theorder of the operations may be changed, and/or two or more operationsmay be combined into a single operation or performed at least partiallyin parallel.

In some embodiments, at least some of the operations in methods 200(FIG. 2 ), 300 (FIG. 3 ), 600 (FIG. 6 ) and/or 700 are performed by aninterface circuit in the electronic device. For example, at least someof the operations may be performed by firmware executed by an interfacecircuit, such as firmware associated with a media access control (MAC)layer, as well as one or more circuits in a physical layer in theinterface circuit.

In some embodiments of the communication techniques, DMS and/or FMS,which are specified in IEEE 802.11v, may be used to indicate, inadvance, when an access point is going to transmit a group-addressedframe that a recipient electronic device (which is sometimes referred toas a ‘station’ or a ‘STA’) wants to receive. In response, a WUR in therecipient electronic device can selectively wake up the main radio,thereby reducing the power consumption of the recipient electronicdevice. In addition, DMS and/or FMS may be used to convey informationthat allows the recipient electronic device to receive a desiredgroup-addressed frame in a reduced (or even minimum) time duration.

As noted previously, DMS is specified in IEEE 802.11v. An access pointmay use DMS to transmit a copy of a group-addressed or multicast frameto an individual address of a recipient electronic device (such as amedia access control or MAC address). This may ensure that the recipientelectronic device receives the multicast addressed frame. Notably,instead of waking up the main radio after each DTIM beam, a recipientelectronic device may wake up the main radio in response to a wake-upframe that indicates that the access point will be transmitting aunicast copy of a group-addressed frame to the recipient electronicdevice. Moreover, in DMS, the recipient electronic device may configureor specify the group-addressed frames it desires to receive as aunicast-addressed copy, e.g., using a traffic classification (TCLAS)element during DMS-setup signaling. For example, a TCLAS element mayspecify one or more of: an AC, a QoS priority level, one or more IEEE802.11 MAC header parameters, one or more IEEE 802.1Q parameters, an IPaddress, a TCP/UDP port, etc. Thus, using DMS, the recipient electronicdevice may be selective and may request to receive group-addressedframes from source addresses that are of interest.

In some embodiments, a WUR-capable access point may support DMS. TheDMS-configuration signaling may be performed at the same time as theWUR-setup signaling. This approach may reduce delays and overhead.Recipient electronic devices may rely on the ability of an access pointto support DMS and that the service is available. DMS may be used with aWUR, without requiring modifications to DMS or the WUR. Note thatwake-up frames may indicate that there are buffered unicast frames.DMS-specific unicast copies of multicast frames may be handled as anyother unicast frame.

Moreover, DMS can improve the performance of the recipient electronicdevice. For example, the transmission rate may be enhanced or optimizedfor a particular recipient electronic device. The recipient electronicdevice may receive other unicast traffic at the same time. The recipientelectronic device can be very selective and may request unicast copiesto be transmitted from one or more specific multicast addresses.However, by adding copies of the multicast traffic, DMS adds to theamount of transmitted traffic. In a high-density communicationenvironment, an access point may not have sufficient transmissioncapacity to operate with DMS.

Furthermore, FMS is specified by IEEE 802.11v. FMS allows an accesspoint to group multicast addresses to FMS streams. An access point mayuse a DTIM beacon to indicate the FMS streams for which it will transmittraffic immediately after the DTIM beacon, so that recipient electronicdevices know which group-addressed frames will be transmitted. There maybe up to, e.g., 256 FMS streams. Traffic from an FMS may have atransmission interval of multiple DTIM Beacon intervals. Consequently,recipient electronic devices can sleep longer and wake up for a DTIMbeacon that indicates there is traffic that the recipient electronicdevices want to receive. Note that there may be up to, e.g., 8transmission intervals.

Thus, FMS may be used to organize specific multicast and broadcastaddresses for which frames will be transmitted at multiple DTIM beaconintervals. A recipient electronic device may, therefore, selectivelywake up the main radio in response to specific DTIM beacons. In thisway, the recipient electronic device can more precisely receive thetraffic in which it is interested and can wake up between multiple DTIMbeacon intervals. Thus, there may be different transmission intervalsfor different sources. An access point can use FMS to indicate in theDTIM beacon the FMS streams for which it has buffered traffic and thatwill be transmitted immediately after the DTIM beacon. This enablesFMS-capable recipient electronic devices to more determine whether theywill receive group addressed-frames after the DTIM beacon.

Note that FMS is backward compatible, so that multiple recipientelectronic devices can receive the same copy of the group-addressedframes. Note that FMS is suitable for use in high-density communicationenvironments because it does not add additional copies of thegroup-addressed frames into the transmissions.

Additionally, FMS streams may be reused in wake-up frames. Notably, thewake-up frames may indicate the group addresses from which the accesspoint will transmit frames in next DTIM beacon. This allows recipientelectronic devices in a lower-power mode to receive frames from specificgroup addresses. Otherwise, a recipient electronic device in alower-power mode may skip the reception of all group-addressed frames ormay receive all group-addressed frames. Because FMS is already specifiedand it improves the power efficiency of legacy electronic devices, itcan be used in conjunction with WURs.

In some embodiments, FMS has a setup signaling. Notably, a recipientelectronic device may transmit an FMS request frame to propose a groupaddress and a transmission interval for an FMS stream. The access pointmay select the transmission intervals and the group addresses of the FMSstreams, and may signal this information in FMS response or a(re)association response frame. Note that beacons may contain an FMSdescriptor element that indicates the schedule of the FMS streams. AnFMS descriptor element in a DTIM beacon may also indicate the FMSstreams for which a frame will be transmitted immediately after the DTIMbeacon.

Thus, a recipient electronic device may propose that frames fromspecific group addresses will be transmitted between fixed DTIMintervals. The FMS requests may identify the multicast traffic thatrecipient electronic devices are interested to receive and may propose aspecific transmission interval for the traffic. Then, the access pointmay decide to group the multicast or group address to a specific FMSstream, may select the schedule for its transmission, and may transmitthe group-addressed frames according to the schedule. The access pointmay indicate in a DTIM beacon that it has buffered traffic that will betransmitted immediately after the DTIM beacon for each FMS stream. Notethat there may be, e.g., 256 FMS streams available. The access point canassign the multicast addresses into an FMS group and the DTIM intervalsbetween the group-addressed-frames transmission. Moreover, the accesspoint may intelligently group or assign the multicast addresses into anFMS group in a set of FMS groups, e.g., there may be eight FMStransmission schedules available.

In embodiments of the communication techniques, DMS and/or FMS may beused to reduce the power consumption of a recipient electronic device.Notably, FMS may be used to specify up to, e.g., eight schedules totransmit group-addressed frames. A wake-up frame may indicategroup-addressed-frames transmission, including indicating from whichFMSID the access point will transmit group-addressed frames. A recipientelectronic device can use the indication of the traffic transmissionfrom a FMS group to decide whether it activates the main radio.

In some embodiments, the access point may use FMS streams in a wake-upframe to signal the multicast and group addresses from which it willsend data. The access point may signal in a (re-) association response,an FMS setup response or in probe response frames which FMS streams areindicated in the wake-up frame. For example, these messages may containa list of FMS streams that are present in the wake-up frame and thewake-up frame may have a bitfield where each bit indicates an FMS streamin the listed order. Moreover, a wake-up frame may have a bitfield witha length of, e.g., 16 bits, and a bit may be set to, e.g., ‘1’ if theaccess point will transmit one or more frames that are classified orassigned to a corresponding FMS stream.

Moreover, the access point may select the FMS streams that are presentedin the wake-up frame. For example, the access point may consider thecapability of a recipient electronic device to operate in a WUR mode(such as a lower-power mode), a number of recipient electronic devicesthat have indicated a desire to receive group-addressed frames belongingto the same FMS stream, and/or characteristics of the transmissionperiodicity of the group-addressed frames. Note that, if a framebelonging to an FMS stream is transmitted deterministically, or veryoften, the access point may not indicate the transmission of the framebelonging to this FMS stream in a wake-up frame.

In these ways, the communication techniques may reduce the number ofmain-radio activations and, thus, the power consumption of the recipientelectronic device. Thus, using the communication techniques, a recipientelectronic device with a WUR can more precisely receive thegroup-addressed frames that are of interest.

In some embodiments, the size of a wake-up frame may be limited.Notably, a wake-up frame may have room for, e.g., a few octets toindicate buffered group-addressed frames. If an access point has manyFMS streams, the access point may select FMS streams that are indicatedin a wake-Up frame. The wake-up frame may contain a bitfield where eachbit is assigned to a selected FMS Stream. A bit may indicate whether theaccess point will transmit traffic from the FMS stream. For example, avalue of ‘1’ may indicate that the access point will transmit trafficfrom the FMS stream, and a value of ‘0’ may indicate that AP will nottransmit traffic from the FMS stream.

Furthermore, signaling may be used to reuse FMS in wake-up frames.Notably, an WUR-compatible access point may list which FMS stream a bitin an FMS-streams bitfield represents. The AP may list the FMS streamsin the order they are listed in the bitfield of the wake-up frame. Thisinformation may be provided by WUR-setup signaling, (re-) associationand/or FMS setup frames.

Additionally, there may be an approach for notifying a recipientelectronic device of a change in the FMS information. Notably, an accesspoint may notify the recipient electronic device(s) in a lower-powermode when the FMS-stream mapping in a wake-up frame changes, e.g., a bitin wakeup-frame bitfield that no longer represents the same groupaddress. This notification may indicate that an FMS stream is no longermapped to a wake-up frame and/or that the group address of the FMSstream has changed. Moreover, there may be an indication when a wake-upframe indicates whether an access point transmits frames from a new FMSstream.

In some embodiments, the wake-up frame may contain, e.g., a two-bitlength counter that is increased by one when an FMS-stream mappingchanges. If a recipient electronic device detects a changed value in thecounter, the recipient electronic device may receive a DTIM beacon or aprobe response in order to obtain the current FMS settings.Alternatively, a check-beacon counter may be increased by, e.g., onewhen any operating parameter or FMS-stream mapping changes.

Thus, wake-up-frame signaling can be used to indicate changes in the FMSinformation. For example, a wake-up frame may contain a counter (such asa counter with a two-bit length) that is increased by one when the FMSinformation is changed, such as when a classification criteria changesor when an FMSID is created or deleted. If a recipient electronic devicedetects a change in the value of the counter, the recipient electronicdevice may receive a DTIM beacon or may use a probe request/proberesponse (i.e., unicast communication with the access point) to obtainthe current FMS settings. Alternatively, the FMS information can usethis indicator to indicate if any operating parameter has changed. Notethat the wake-up frame length can be optimized.

Moreover, there may be several benefits of FMS. Notably, selectivereception of group-addressed frames may be needed for recipientelectronic devices in a lower-power mode. Otherwise, the recipientelectronic devices in the lower-power mode may receive all or nogroup-addressed frames. Note that FMS stream indications in a DTIMbeacon may reduce the power consumption of FMS-capable recipientelectronic devices. These recipient electronic devices may skipreception of group-addressed frames for which they are not interested.Furthermore, the FMS-compatible recipient electronic devices may wake upmore selectively to receive the group-addressed frames they areinterested in receiving. Note that FMS is suitable for high-densitydeployments, because FMS does not transmit multiple copies ofgroup-addressed frames.

In summary, a WUR-compatible access point may implement DMS and/or FMSto allow recipient electronic devices with WURs to selectively receiveframes from specific group addresses. DMS may enable such a recipientelectronic device to receive a unicast copy from the specific groupaddresses. The wake-up frame may indicate the FMS streams from which theaccess point will transmit frames. DMS and FMS are backward compatibleand may also reduce the power consumption of recipient electronicdevices that do not include a WUR. Therefore, the communicationtechniques may not require any changes to the FMS or DMS definitions inIEEE 802.11v.

Thus, an access point may implement DMS and/or FMS features in order toreduce the power consumption of a legacy electronic device or arecipient electronic device that includes a WUR. The wake-up frame forbuffered group-addressed frames may indicate the FMSIDs of thegroup-addressed frames that the access point will transmit. Moreover,DMS may enable a recipient electronic device with a WUR to receivetraffic from specific group addressed in a very power-efficient manner.

In some embodiments, the communication techniques facilitate improvedpower efficiency when receiving individually addressed frames. Notably,an access point may typically wake up a recipient electronic device witha WUR from a lower-power mode every time the access point obtains anindividually addressed frame for the recipient electronic device.

Moreover, a recipient electronic device may configure an immediate orpower-enhanced wake up of the main radio in a recipient electronicdevice based at least in part on address information of the downlinkframes. This power-enhanced wake up may reduce the number of main-radioactivations and the access point may buffer larger amounts of traffic tobe transmitted per main-radio activation. Note that the transmissiondelay of immediate wake-up frames may be shorter than the delay forother traffic because the access point ‘understands’ or has situationalawareness of the urgency of the wake-up frame. For example, the urgencymay be determined by an access point based at least in part on any/allof: an IP address, a TCP/UDP port, an AC, a QoS of the traffic, etc.

Furthermore, there may be different delay requirements for differentdownlink frames. For example, some keep-alive messages, emails and/orother updates may not have strict delay requirements. Typicalaccess-point power-saving techniques have been tailored to infrequentwake ups and to deliver all messages in a single activation round. TheWUR has a small standby power consumption, which enables abattery-powered recipient electronic device to receive traffic moreoften using the WUR. The increased recipient electronic-deviceavailability can shorten the wake-up frame transmission delays. However,the power-consumption benefit of the WUR may be reduced if the mainradio is activated very frequently, or if the main-radio transmissionshave high overhead.

Additionally, the urgency criterion or criteria of the downlink framescan be configured using setup signaling. Notably, a recipient electronicdevice may configure whether the downlink frame is urgent and that arecipient electronic device in a lower-power mode should activate themain radio quickly (e.g., immediately or urgently), or that non-urgentand power-enhanced main-radio activation is desired (e.g., for efficientuse of power). The urgency of the downlink frame may be configured ofdefined during WUR-setup signaling, which may be transmitted by the mainradio to the access point. For example, a recipient electronic devicemay use one or more TCLAS elements in a WUR-setup request to classifyone or more specific downlink-frame addresses as urgent or non-urgent.Then, an access point may decide or may determine an urgencyclassification for these frames and may signal the appliedclassification rule in a WUR-setup response.

Note that the access point may signal an urgency of a wake-up frame. Forexample, a wake-up frame may include a bit that indicates whether theaccess point requires immediate or power-enhanced wake-up. For a valueof, e.g., ‘1’, the recipient electronic device may wake-up immediatelyto receive one or more urgent frames. Alternatively, for a value of,e.g., ‘0’, the recipient electronic device may select the time when itwakes to receive one or more non-urgent frames. The time may be selectedsuch that the main radio operates in a more power-efficient manner. Notethat these numerical values are for purposes of illustration and othernumerical values or coding may be used. Thus, in some embodiments, thepresence or absence of a bit can be used to specify the urgency of aframe. Note that the total length of a wake-up frame may be, e.g., 40-50bits, and the length may be specified in the wake-up frame.

In some embodiments, a recipient electronic device receives non-urgentframes: when it receives urgent frames; when it receives group-addressedframes; after a delay (which may allow more frames to be transmitted ata time); or immediately in the same way as urgent frames.

During transmission of wake-up frames, an access point may prioritizethe transmission of a wake-up frame that indicates immediate wake-up. Anaccess point may use control logic to subsequently retransmit a wake-upframe that indicates power-optimized wake-up. For example, an accesspoint may retransmit a wake-up frame indicating power optimized wake upwith a longer retransmission delay than a wake-up frame indicatingimmediate wakeup. Thus, the access point may select the frequency ofretransmission of a low-priority frame. In some embodiments, alow-priority frame has a transmission delay between, e.g., tens ofmilliseconds and several seconds. Alternatively, an access point maytransmit a wake-up frame that indicates immediate wake-up to ensure thata recipient electronic device is available. In some embodiments, anaccess point sends a wake-up frame each time there is a frame addressedto a recipient electronic device, and the recipient electronic devicedetermines whether to wake up or not in response to a wake-up frame,e.g., the recipient electronic device may selectively wake up to receivea particular frame based at least in part on an urgency determined bythe access point and/or the recipient electronic device.

Therefore, in some embodiments the second communication techniques maybe used to enable a recipient electronic device to classify downlinkframes as urgent or non-urgent. The classification may reduce the powerconsumption of the recipient electronic device by reducing the number ofmain-radio activations and, thus, the amount of time the recipientelectronic device operates in the higher-power state. Note that, in someembodiments, a bit in an individually addressed wake-up frame mayindicate whether a wake up is immediate or power optimized.

We now describe embodiments of an electronic device. FIG. 9 presents ablock diagram of an electronic device 900 (which may be a cellulartelephone, an access point, another electronic device, etc.) inaccordance with some embodiments. This electronic device includesprocessing subsystem 910, memory subsystem 912, and networking subsystem914. Processing subsystem 910 includes one or more devices configured toperform computational operations. For example, processing subsystem 910can include one or more microprocessors, application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs),programmable-logic devices, and/or one or more digital signal processors(DSPs).

Memory subsystem 912 includes one or more devices for storing dataand/or instructions for processing subsystem 910 and networkingsubsystem 914. For example, memory subsystem 912 can include dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), aread-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and/or other types of memory. Insome embodiments, instructions for processing subsystem 910 in memorysubsystem 912 include: program instructions or sets of instructions(such as program instructions 922 or operating system 924), which may beexecuted by processing subsystem 910. For example, a ROM can storeprograms, utilities or processes to be executed in a non-volatilemanner, and DRAM can provide volatile data storage, and may storeinstructions related to the operation of electronic device 900. Notethat the one or more computer programs may constitute a computer-programmechanism, a computer-readable storage medium or software. Moreover,instructions in the various modules in memory subsystem 912 may beimplemented in: a high-level procedural language, an object-orientedprogramming language, and/or in an assembly or machine language.Furthermore, the programming language may be compiled or interpreted,e.g., configurable or configured (which may be used interchangeably inthis discussion), to be executed by processing subsystem 910. In someembodiments, the one or more computer programs are distributed over anetwork-coupled computer system so that the one or more computerprograms are stored and executed in a distributed manner.

In addition, memory subsystem 912 can include mechanisms for controllingaccess to the memory. In some embodiments, memory subsystem 912 includesa memory hierarchy that comprises one or more caches coupled to a memoryin electronic device 900. In some of these embodiments, one or more ofthe caches is located in processing subsystem 910.

In some embodiments, memory subsystem 912 is coupled to one or morehigh-capacity mass-storage devices (not shown). For example, memorysubsystem 912 can be coupled to a magnetic or optical drive, asolid-state drive, or another type of mass-storage device. In theseembodiments, memory subsystem 912 can be used by electronic device 900as fast-access storage for often-used data, while the mass-storagedevice is used to store less frequently used data.

Networking subsystem 914 includes one or more devices configured tocouple to and communicate on a wired and/or wireless network (i.e., toperform network operations), including: control logic 916, an interfacecircuit 918 and a set of antennas 920 (or antenna elements) in anadaptive array that can be selectively turned on and/or off by controllogic 916 to create a variety of optional antenna patterns or ‘beampatterns.’ (While FIG. 9 includes set of antennas 920, in someembodiments electronic device 900 includes one or more nodes, such asnodes 908, e.g., a pad, which can be coupled to set of antennas 920.Thus, electronic device 900 may or may not include set of antennas 920.)For example, networking subsystem 914 can include a Bluetooth networkingsystem, a cellular networking system (e.g., a 3G/4G/5G network such asUMTS, LTE, etc.), a universal serial bus (USB) networking system, anetworking system based on the standards described in IEEE 802.11 (e.g.,a Wi-Fi® networking system), an Ethernet networking system, and/oranother networking system.

In some embodiments, networking subsystem 914 includes one or moreradios, such as a WUR that is used to receive wake-up frames, and a mainradio that is used to transmit and/or receive frames or packets during ahigher-power mode. The WUR and the main radio may be implementedseparately (such as using discrete components or separate integratedcircuits) or in a common integrated circuit.

Networking subsystem 914 includes processors, controllers,radios/antennas, sockets/plugs, and/or other devices used for couplingto, communicating on, and handling data and events for each supportednetworking system. Note that mechanisms used for coupling to,communicating on, and handling data and events on the network for eachnetwork system are sometimes collectively referred to as a ‘networkinterface’ for the network system. Moreover, in some embodiments a‘network’ or a ‘connection’ between the electronic devices does not yetexist. Therefore, electronic device 900 may use the mechanisms innetworking subsystem 914 for performing simple wireless communicationbetween the electronic devices, e.g., transmitting advertising or frameframes and/or scanning for advertising frames transmitted by otherelectronic devices.

Within electronic device 900, processing subsystem 910, memory subsystem912, and networking subsystem 914 are coupled together using bus 928that facilitates data transfer between these components. Bus 928 mayinclude an electrical, optical, and/or electro-optical connection thatthe subsystems can use to communicate commands and data among oneanother. Although only one bus 928 is shown for clarity, differentembodiments can include a different number or configuration ofelectrical, optical, and/or electro-optical connections among thesubsystems.

In some embodiments, electronic device 900 includes a display subsystem926 for displaying information on a display, which may include a displaydriver and the display, such as a liquid-crystal display, a multi-touchtouchscreen, etc. Display subsystem 926 may be controlled by processingsubsystem 910 to display information to a user (e.g., informationrelating to incoming, outgoing, or an active communication session).

Electronic device 900 can also include a user-input subsystem 930 thatallows a user of the electronic device 900 to interact with electronicdevice 900. For example, user-input subsystem 930 can take a variety offorms, such as: a button, keypad, dial, touch screen, audio inputinterface, visual/image capture input interface, input in the form ofsensor data, etc.

Electronic device 900 can be (or can be included in) any electronicdevice with at least one network interface. For example, electronicdevice 900 may include: a cellular telephone or a smartphone, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a personal or desktopcomputer, a netbook computer, a media player device, an electronic bookdevice, a MiFi® device, a smartwatch, a wearable computing device, aportable computing device, a consumer-electronic device, an accesspoint, a router, a switch, communication equipment, test equipment, aswell as any other type of electronic computing device having wirelesscommunication capability that can include communication via one or morewireless communication protocols.

Although specific components are used to describe electronic device 900,in alternative embodiments, different components and/or subsystems maybe present in electronic device 900. For example, electronic device 900may include one or more additional processing subsystems, memorysubsystems, networking subsystems, and/or display sub systems.Additionally, one or more of the subsystems may not be present inelectronic device 900. Moreover, in some embodiments, electronic device900 may include one or more additional subsystems that are not shown inFIG. 9 . Also, although separate subsystems are shown in FIG. 9, in someembodiments some or all of a given subsystem or component can beintegrated into one or more of the other subsystems or component(s) inelectronic device 900. For example, in some embodiments programinstructions 922 are included in operating system 924 and/or controllogic 916 is included in interface circuit 918.

Moreover, the circuits and components in electronic device 900 may beimplemented using any combination of analog and/or digital circuitry,including: bipolar, PMOS and/or NMOS gates or transistors. Furthermore,signals in these embodiments may include digital signals that haveapproximately discrete values and/or analog signals that have continuousvalues. Additionally, components and circuits may be single-ended ordifferential, and power supplies may be unipolar or bipolar.

An integrated circuit (which is sometimes referred to as a‘communication circuit’) may implement some or all of the functionalityof networking subsystem 914. This integrated circuit may includehardware and/or software mechanisms that are used for transmittingwireless signals from electronic device 900 and receiving signals atelectronic device 900 from other electronic devices. Aside from themechanisms herein described, radios are generally known in the art andhence are not described in detail. In general, networking subsystem 914and/or the integrated circuit can include any number of radios. Notethat the radios in multiple-radio embodiments function in a similar wayto the described single-radio embodiments.

In some embodiments, networking subsystem 914 and/or the integratedcircuit include a configuration mechanism (such as one or more hardwareand/or software mechanisms) that configures the radio(s) to transmitand/or receive on a given communication channel (e.g., a given carrierfrequency). For example, in some embodiments, the configurationmechanism can be used to switch the radio from monitoring and/ortransmitting on a given communication channel to monitoring and/ortransmitting on a different communication channel. (Note that‘monitoring’ as used herein comprises receiving signals from otherelectronic devices and possibly performing one or more processingoperations on the received signals)

In some embodiments, an output of a process for designing the integratedcircuit, or a portion of the integrated circuit, which includes one ormore of the circuits described herein may be a computer-readable mediumsuch as, for example, a magnetic tape or an optical or magnetic disk.The computer-readable medium may be encoded with data structures orother information describing circuitry that may be physicallyinstantiated as the integrated circuit or the portion of the integratedcircuit. Although various formats may be used for such encoding, thesedata structures are commonly written in: Caltech Intermediate Format(CIF), Calma GDS II Stream Format (GDSII) or Electronic DesignInterchange Format (EDIF). Those of skill in the art of integratedcircuit design can develop such data structures from schematic diagramsof the type detailed above and the corresponding descriptions and encodethe data structures on the computer-readable medium. Those of skill inthe art of integrated circuit fabrication can use such encoded data tofabricate integrated circuits that include one or more of the circuitsdescribed herein.

While the preceding discussion used a Wi-Fi communication protocol as anillustrative example, in other embodiments a wide variety ofcommunication protocols and, more generally, wireless communicationtechniques may be used. Thus, the communication techniques may be usedin a variety of network interfaces. Furthermore, while some of theoperations in the preceding embodiments were implemented in hardware orsoftware, in general the operations in the preceding embodiments can beimplemented in a wide variety of configurations and architectures.Therefore, some or all of the operations in the preceding embodimentsmay be performed in hardware, in software or both. For example, at leastsome of the operations in the communication techniques may beimplemented using program instructions 922, operating system 924 (suchas a driver for interface circuit 918) or in firmware in interfacecircuit 918. Alternatively or additionally, at least some of theoperations in the communication techniques may be implemented in aphysical layer, such as hardware in interface circuit 918. In someembodiments, the communication techniques are implemented, at least inpart, in a MAC layer and/or in a physical layer in interface circuit918.

While examples of numerical values are provided in the precedingdiscussion, in other embodiments different numerical values are used.Consequently, the numerical values provided are not intended to belimiting.

While the preceding embodiments illustrated the use of a WUR-setuprequest and a wake-up frame that are communicated using Wi-Fi, in otherembodiments of the communication techniques Bluetooth Low Energy is usedto communicate one or more of these frames or packets. Furthermore, theWUR-setup request and/or the wake-up frame may be communicated in thesame or a different band of frequencies that the band(s) of frequenciesused by the main radio. For example, the WUR-setup request and/or thewake-up frame may be communicated in one or more bands of frequencies,including: 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 60 GHz, and/or a band of frequenciesused by LTE.

In the preceding description, we refer to ‘some embodiments.’ Note that‘some embodiments’ describes a subset of all of the possibleembodiments, but does not always specify the same subset of embodiments.

The foregoing description is intended to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the disclosure, and is provided in the contextof a particular application and its requirements. Moreover, theforegoing descriptions of embodiments of the present disclosure havebeen presented for purposes of illustration and description only. Theyare not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure tothe forms disclosed. Accordingly, many modifications and variations willbe apparent to practitioners skilled in the art, and the generalprinciples defined herein may be applied to other embodiments andapplications without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. Additionally, the discussion of the preceding embodiments isnot intended to limit the present disclosure. Thus, the presentdisclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, butis to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles andfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An access point, comprising: an interface circuit configured to communicate with a client or a station that is associated with or has established a connection with the access point, and configured to: receive a wake-up radio (WUR)-setup request associated with the client or the station, wherein the WUR-setup request specifies a group address for which the client wants to receive associated frames and a proposed transmission interval; and provide a wake-up frame addressed to the client or the station, wherein the wake-up frame comprises an identifier of an aggregated group, the identifier comprising the group address for which a group-addressed frame will subsequently be transmitted by the access point, and wherein the wake-up frame is provided at a transmission time corresponding to the proposed transmission interval.
 2. The access point of claim 1, wherein the transmission time is an integer multiple of a Delivery Traffic Indication Message (DTIM)-beacon transmission interval.
 3. The access point of claim 1, wherein the group address is included in one or more group addresses associated with one or more Flexible Multicast Service (FMS) streams that are provided by the access point.
 4. The access point of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a flexible multicast service identifier (FMSID).
 5. The access point of claim 1, wherein the wake-up frame specifies a Flexible Multicast Service (FMS) stream for which there is pending traffic in the access point.
 6. The access point of claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is configured to select a Flexible Multicast Service (FMS) stream for which there is pending traffic in the access point; and wherein the wake-up frame specifies the FMS stream.
 7. The access point of claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is configured to assign, based at least in part on the group address, the client or the station to the aggregated group associated with a flexible multicast service identifier (FMSID).
 8. The access point of claim 1, wherein the WUR-setup request and the wake-up frame are compatible with an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol.
 9. The access point of claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is configured to: receive a second WUR-setup request associated with the client or the station, wherein the second WUR-setup request specifies one or more attributes associated with group-addressed frames that the client or the station wants to receive using a directed multicast service (DMS); and provide a second wake-up frame addressed to the client or the station, wherein the second wake-up frame indicates that the access point will subsequently provide a unicast copy of a second group-addressed frame having the one or more attributes.
 10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with an access point, the computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by the access point, cause the access point to provide a wake-up frame by carrying out one or more operations comprising: receiving a wake-up radio (WUR)-setup request associated with a client or a station, wherein the client or the station is associated with or has established a connection with the access point, and wherein the WUR-setup request specifies a group address for which the client or the station wants to receive associated frames and a proposed transmission interval; and providing the wake-up frame addressed to the client or the station, wherein the wake-up frame comprises an identifier of an aggregated group, the identifier comprising the group address for which a group-addressed frame will subsequently be transmitted by the access point, and wherein the wake-up frame is provided at a transmission time corresponding to the proposed transmission interval.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the transmission time is an integer multiple of a Delivery Traffic Indication Message (DTIM)-beacon transmission interval.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the group address is included in one or more group addresses associated with one or more Flexible Multicast Service (FMS) streams that are provided by the access point.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the identifier comprises a flexible multicast service identifier (FMSID).
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the wake-up frame specifies a Flexible Multicast Service (FMS) stream for which there is pending traffic in the access point.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations comprise selecting a Flexible Multicast Service (FMS) stream for which there is pending traffic in the access point; and wherein the wake-up frame specifies the FMS stream.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations comprise assigning, based at least in part on the group address, the client or the station to the aggregated group associated with a flexible multicast service identifier (FMSID).
 17. A method for providing a wake-up frame, comprising: by an access point: receiving a wake-up radio (WUR)-setup request associated with a client or a station, wherein the client or the station is associated with or has established a connection with the access point, and wherein the WUR-setup request specifies a group address for which the client or the station wants to receive associated frames and a proposed transmission interval; and providing the wake-up frame addressed to the client or the station, wherein the wake-up frame comprises an identifier of an aggregated group, the identifier comprising the group address for which a group-addressed frame will subsequently be transmitted by the access point, and wherein the wake-up frame is provided at a transmission time corresponding to the proposed transmission interval.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the transmission time is an integer multiple of a Delivery Traffic Indication Message (DTIM)-beacon transmission interval and the integer is greater than one.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the identifier comprises a flexible multicast service identifier (FMSID).
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the wake-up frame specifies a Flexible Multicast Service (FMS) stream for which there is pending traffic in the access point. 